Lena Raine, the renowned composer behind the iconic music of the indie game Celeste, has unveiled a concept album for Earthblade. In 2022, Extremely OK Games announced that Earthblade would be their next project, following the success of Celeste. However, the game’s development ultimately came to an end when the company cancelled the project in January of this year. According to Raine, she compiled all the music she had written for the game prior to its cancellation to create her own narrative, which she has now released as EARTHBLADE ~ Across the Bounds of Fate. Since there is no game to determine the order of the tracks, Raine arranged them to follow an emotional arc, similar to a traditional soundtrack.

Raine drew inspiration from classic animation and film scores, such as Joe Hisaishi’s work on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which features a combination of synthesizers and live strings, as well as Yoko Kanno’s use of saxophones and percussive elements in Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. In addition to her work on Celeste, Raine has also composed music for Minecraft and Guild Wars 2.

Earthblade was initially conceived as a 2D exploration-action game, where players would take on the role of Névoa, a mysterious child of Fate returning to Earth. When Extremely OK Games cancelled the project, studio director Maddy Thorson explained that the development process had become a struggle. Thorson, along with programmer Noel Berry, had parted ways with Extremely OK co-founder Pedro Medeiros, but emphasized that Medeiros and his new team were not at odds with them. Despite the game’s cancellation, Raine’s concept album offers a unique glimpse into the world of Earthblade.

The EARTHBLADE ~ Across the Bounds of Fate album is now available for purchase on Bandcamp for $7, allowing fans to experience the music that was meant to accompany the game.